Fudging on fishing

Your editorial puts the blame for overfishing of the world's fish stocks on fishery scientists, saying "scientists have said that more could be caught than turned out to be supportable by the fish populations" (Comment, 8 April). I am surprised that a journal of New Scientist's reputation should take such an antiscience stand when the fault is not at all with the scientists but rather with those responsible for applying science - the politicians and policy-makers.

A good example is provided with the European Union's stand against Canada. Canada wants a limit of 27 000 tonnes for the Blue Whiting catch in international waters and has offered the EU half of this. Yet the EU Commissioner for Fisheries says this is not enough and if there is no agreement signed between the EU and Canada then the EU will go it alone and fish 18 500 tonnes. This is decidedly ...

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